Lake Almanor Watershed Group

08/12/2025

This month we conducted our August round of water quality monitoring, collecting data on temperature, dissolved oxygen, clarity, and other key indicators of lake health.

Since 2005, LAWG has worked to protect and improve water quality, riparian habitat, and wetland ecosystems in the Lake Almanor Basin, while supporting sustainable local economies. Today, the group operates as a community-led collaborative, producing credible, science-based data that informs management decisions and builds public understanding.

We are proud to collaborate with Sierra Institute for Community and Environment through coordination, technical assistance, and funding—ensuring this vital work continues for generations to come.

07/16/2025

Last Wednesday, the Sierra Institute joined members of the Lake Almanor Watershed Group (LAWG) for a site tour of key water quality monitoring locations around Lake Almanor, including a visit to the Mountain Meadows Reservoir.

LAWG is a long-standing collaborative working group focused on improving and maintaining the health of the Lake Almanor watershed through annual water sampling, education, and community-based science.

As a proud partner in this work, the Sierra Institute supports these efforts to safeguard critical water resources and promote healthy ecosystems that serve both people and wildlife.

👉 Learn more about LAWG and how to get involved: https://sierrainstitute.us/program/lake-almanor-watershed-group/

03/20/2024

📢 Announcement: Our annual Lake Almanor water quality report is now available! 🌊📈 Head over to our website https://sierrainstitute.us/program/lake-almanor-watershed-group/ to read all about the health of our beloved lake. We've been hard at work collecting data and analyzing trends to ensure that our community can continue to enjoy the beautiful waters for years to come. Don't forget to share this important information with your friends and family! 💦

08/25/2022

Join the Lake Almanor Watershed Group on Saturday, September 17th, in Westwood, CA, for the Great Sierra River Cleanup event from 9 am to noon.

Join us for the Great Sierra River Cleanup on September 17, 2022. Protect your watershed today!

08/23/2022

Join us on Saturday, September 17th in Westwood, CA for the Great Sierra River Cleanup event.

"The Great Sierra River Cleanup is happening on Saturday, September 17, 2022!

This event is organized in conjunction with California Coastal Cleanup Day – the largest volunteer event in the state. The Sierra produces 60% of California’s water supply and supplies the state with 50% of its hydroelectric energy. Unfortunately, our waterways are impacted by waste and other pollutants making their way downstream.

Please spend the morning with the Lake Almanor Watershed Group in Westwood, CA, helping us clean up our community to protect our valuable rivers during this year’s Great Sierra River Cleanup.

Event Time: Saturday, September 17, 2022; 9 am - 12 pm
Starting Location: Westwood Visitor Center, 3rd & Ash Streets Westwood, CA 96137
Contact us at (530) 284-1022 or [email protected]

The Lake Almanor Watershed Group will provide volunteers with trash bags and gloves for the cleanup. Please bring water, sunscreen, a hat, or anything else you might need for a morning outdoors!

Please register here: https://forms.gle/BowLJEdsMkzAsPVW6"

03/17/2022

The Lake Almanor Watershed Group (LAWG) monitors the water quality of Lake Almanor and its tributaries. This water health data informs the Lake Almanor community, PGE, the Forest Service, and nearby landowners. Check out Dr. Gina Johnston's recent article on 2021 water quality in Lake Almanor. You can support this critical, citizen-led monitoring effort here: https://secure.sierrainstitute.us/np/clients/sierrainstitute/donation.jsp?forwardedFromSecureDomain=1&campaign=57

https://www.plumasnews.com/drought-and-dixie-fire-impacts-water-quality-at-lake-almanor/

Submitted by Dr. Gina Johnston   A warming climate is altering ecosystems worldwide. In California we are experiencing prolonged drought...

01/13/2022

The Lake Almanor Watershed Group (LAWG) monitors the water quality of Lake Almanor and its tributaries. This water health data informs the Lake Almanor community, PGE, the Forest Service, and nearby landowners. Water quality monitoring is done by local volunteers and the Sierra Institute. Water samples are collected and analyzed to explore important water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, water clarity, and algal concentration. LAWG contracts the analysis of this data and compiles them into a report on the health of Lake Almanor (most recently done by Dr. Gina Johnston from CSU Chico). Annual Water Quality Reports can be viewed and downloaded at the LAWG website.

After the Dixie Fire, monitoring the water quality in Lake Almanor is even more important, given the likely influx of fire retardant, ash, and sediment. This critical water quality monitoring effort is completely citizen-led and requires funds to pay for equipment, including probes, plankton nets, replacement batteries, and calibration liquids.

We need your support to keep this effort going.

Donate Here: https://sierrainstitute.us/program/lake-almanor-watershed-group/

11/05/2021

Great work by our friends at AFA

06/08/2021

Meet Isabella, our new Watershed Coordinator.
Bella Bledsoe joined Sierra Institute as the Watershed Coordinator in May 2021. Bella grew up in the San Juan Islands of Washington state, and as a child, she searched for newts along forest trails and boated in the Salish Sea. Bella graduated with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She recently finished her master's degree in Environmental Justice and Geospatial Data Sciences at the University of Michigan. In her free time, Bella enjoys walking, swimming, and painting. She is excited to explore the local mountains and forests and to get to know the surrounding community.

05/18/2021

Sierra Institute’s GrizzlyCorps member Kevin Price and local volunteer Phil Datner got out on the lake today to practice with the water quality equipment recently loaned to us by Scott McReynolds from the Department of Water Resources.

Kevin and Phil, along with other community member, will be heading the effort to collect water quality field data this season that will be the basis for the Lake Almanor Watershed Group’s Water Quality Report in 2022.

If you’re interested in volunteering contact Kevin at [email protected]